Children are naturally curious with the objects they see around them. Most often, whatever they pick up goes straight to their mouth which makes them prone to things like choking, GI disorders and yes, poisoning.

To be able to initiate interventions, it is important to know the agent that the child ingested. EMS providers should look around and be aware of the objects in the child’s environment and the substances found that they could possibly ingest. It is also important to assess carefully for the different signs and symptoms that the child is exhibiting. If the child is symptomatic, obtaining the history of ingestion is also helpful.

Since lead and iron are some of the most common substances that cause pediatric poisonings, providers should also be aware of the signs and symptoms and emergency treatment of lead and iron poisoning. Teaching the parents or caregivers about how and where they can get poisoned by these substances, how they should store chemicals, as well as how they educate the children about medications would be key to the prevention of pediatric poisonings.